In 2023, Costco Wholesale completed a corporate carbon footprint assessment and publicly disclosed its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions according to the GHG Protocol, covering Scope 1 (direct emissions from owned or controlled sources), Scope 2 (indirect emissions from purchased energy), and Scope 3 (indirect emissions across the value chain).
Costco Wholesale has also provided a category-level breakdown for 9 out of 15 Scope 3 emissions categories, offering greater transparency into its value chain emissions.
Metric (tCO2e) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 - 2017 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Total Scope 1 | 0000000 | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data. | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data. | 0000000 |
Total Scope 2 | ||||
Market-Based | 0000000 | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data. | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data. | 0000000 |
Location-Based | 0000000 | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data. | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data. | 0000000 |
Total Scope 3 | 0000000 | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data. | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data. | 0000000 |
This table provides a simplified preview of selected GHG emissions data points. To access the complete dataset with full disclosures, detailed breakdowns, and source traceability, create a free account to view purchase options.
In 2023, the total operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of Costco Wholesale amounted to 2,879,478 metric tons of CO2 equivalent. This figure includes both direct emissions from owned or controlled sources (Scope 1) and indirect emissions from purchased energy (Scope 2).
Compared to 2022, the total operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of Costco Wholesale increased by 1.69%, suggesting that the company faced challenges in reducing its emissions from its core operations.
In 2023, the total Scope 1 emissions of Costco Wholesale were 1,424,357 metric tons of COâ‚‚ equivalent (tCOâ‚‚e).
Since 2020, Costco Wholesale's Scope 1 emissions have increased by 18.14%, reflecting a rising long-term trend in Scope 1 emissions over time.
Compared to the previous year (2022), Costco Wholesale's Scope 1 emissions increased by 1.33%, suggesting that the company faced challenges in reducing emissions from its directly owned or controlled operations.
In 2023, Costco Wholesale reported Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 1,336,087 tCOâ‚‚e using the market-based method, and 1,455,121 tCOâ‚‚e using the location-based method.
Since 2020, Costco Wholesale's Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Location-Based) have remained relatively stable, indicating that Costco Wholesale 's emissions have plateaued with no significant change in its energy consumption footprint.
Compared to the previous year (2022), Costco Wholesale's Scope 2 emissions (Location-Based) have remained relatively stable, indicating that Costco Wholesale 's emissions have plateaued with no significant change in its energy consumption footprint.
In 2023, Costco Wholesale reported its Scope 2 emissions using the market-based method and using the location-based method.
In 2023, Costco Wholesale reported 183,190,194 metric tons of COâ‚‚ equivalent (tCOâ‚‚e) of Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, representing indirect emissions across its upstream and downstream value chain.
The 2023 disclosure of Costco Wholesale includes a breakdown across 9 of the 15 Scope 3 categories defined by the GHG Protocol, matching the level of disclosure in 2022, demonstrating consistent Scope 3 emissions reporting coverage year over year.
In 2023, Costco Wholesale reported total Scope 3 emissions of 183,190,194 metric tons of COâ‚‚ equivalent (tCOâ‚‚e).
Approximately 56.04% of these emissions originated from upstream activities such as purchased goods and capital goods, while 43.96% came from downstream activities like product use, distribution, and end-of-life treatment.
Since 2020, Costco Wholesale's Scope 3 emissions have increased by 22.02%, reflecting a rising long-term trend in Scope 3 emissions over time.
Compared to the previous year (2022), Costco Wholesale's Scope 3 emissions remained relatively stable, indicating that Costco Wholesale 's emissions have plateaued with no significant change in its value chain footprint.
In 2023, Costco Wholesale reported emissions for 9 out of the 15 Scope 3 categories defined by the GHG Protocol.
This partial disclosure allows for some insight into the company's indirect impacts.
In 2023, the largest contributors to Costco Wholesale's Scope 3 emissions were:
In 2023, Costco Wholesale reported a total carbon footprint of 186,069,672 metric tons of COâ‚‚ equivalent (tCOâ‚‚e) across Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions. This represents a 1.15% increase compared to 2022, suggesting a rise in emissions across its operations or value chain.
The largest contributor to Costco Wholesale's total carbon footprint was Scope 3 emissions, accounting for 98.45% of the company's total carbon footprint, followed by Scope 2 emissions at 0.78%.